Altar SF
Sasha Vu and Ling Lee
With Support From Mey Lee, Celi Tamyo Lee, and Sophia Mitty
Soundscape by Ben Vu
This piece was created for Muni Raised Me, a San Francisco centric art show which opened at SOMARTS in 2023. The exterior was painted and conceptualized by Sasha Vu and the interior was created by Ling Lee. The bus was painted with pattern work, San Francisco iconography and insiped by the hevens.
Curated by Meymey Lee, Sasha Vu, and Celi Tamayo-Lee, Muni Raised Me is an exploration of belonging; to a land that is not ours, that we will never own, but that we owe. As an exhibition features all San Francisco-born and raised artists, it is our birthright to tell our story of San Francisco. Amid the cacophony of special interests that dictate so much of the City, those of us who were raised in San Francisco have our own tale to tell.
Muni, the public transit system of San Francisco, has wheeled millions of us; young people, elders, workers, and partiers across this seven by seven square for years.
Public means “of the people”. Those of us who depend on public transit, public education, public housing, and public parks by default embodies the City’s soul and culture. But the “public” has always been fraught with state violence and corporate, colonial dominance, and the last two decades have left us close witnesses to the deepened segregation and wealth inequality.
Muni Raised Me is a bat signal to the remaining, a gathering of the hyphy and joyful to remember what we had and who we are. Part eulogy, part dance party, this exhibition is a celebration of San Francisco.
